Speechless
by Kaloge11
Summary: And that was officially the first time the Hermione Granger had ever been speechless. I didn't know whether that was a good or bad thing to be honest. But, let's just back up a little bit as to why she was speechless. Well, I guess it really just starts with me, the one and only Draco Malfoy. Warning: Talk of drinking nothing serious just a heads up. Dramione, Review! One shot.


**AN: As I said in The Fire Within, this was my next story. So here it is! This is a oneshot unless I get prompted to add on/write more, I hope you enjoy. (I can make this into an MC involving their lives afterwards if people are interested...?)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and I am not making any money off of this.**

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And that was officially the first time the Hermione Granger had ever been speechless. I didn't know whether that was a good or bad thing to be honest.

But, let's just back up a little bit as to why she was speechless. Well, I guess it really just starts with me, the one and only Draco Malfoy.

So back in the summer after our seventh year, after Voldemort had been vanquished, the Ministry of Magic had sent us each letters saying how we would have to return to Hogwarts to repeat our final year. I didn't think that was such a bad thing, until I got there.

To those of you who don't know what it's like to have everyone turn there backs on you, your friends, family, even your professors. Well, it stinks. But that's what happened to me. During the second wizarding war, I had joined my family on the dark side. I was the only one out of all of Hogwarts, who had done that. I regretted it the second I did though, partially because I knew it was wrong and partially because I saw the look of sheer disappointment on her face. But what was I supposed to do, betray my parents? They would have been tortured by Voldemort if I had done that. I couldn't let my parents suffer on my account. So I crossed over to them. Albeit we did escape, at least, they thought that they had escaped with me. But I went back.

We had just apparated to Malfoy Manor and I had a sinking feeling in my stomach. I couldn't just leave my classmates and my friends to die out there! While I was relaxing at home drinking tea. So when my parents went inside, I apparated back to Hogwarts, my real home. Hagrid had just put Potter's dead body on the ground, for everyone to see. I truly wasn't surprised though when he leapt up from the ground and ran off to the other students and professors. I also sneaked back onto their side, the right side. I found Mcgonagle and told her of my switch, that is after she tried to hex me into oblivion. She nodded and rushed to tell everyone else. The battle had begun and I saw her running with Weaselbee. She was the real reason that I came back. Although, she'll never know. As she was running away with him, I saw my aunt Bella spot her. She ran towards the girl she had tortured in my house, the mudblood that she was going to kill. I couldn't let that happen though. She had been hurt once when I could have stopped it, but never again. So I ran after my aunt and cursed her from behind. She froze mid stride and then crumpled to the ground where she withered in pain. Her screams weren't the only ones to be heard though. Nor were they the last.

The rest of the battle went by in a blur. Before I knew it, we had won. But none of us were truly winners. Too many people were dead or dieing. I wanted to help them, but who would want a death eater like me to help them. They would just think that I was trying to kill them even still. So again, I left my peers behind me. It was time anyways to turn over a new leaf. So, after I got cleared from all charges by the jury, I decided to work as a healer in Saint Mungo's. I saw her there. We were in the same ward there, I got to see her everyday. I hadn't told her about how I had saved her in the battle and she didn't want to hear it, or anything else from me for that matter.

Eventually, I had tried to have an actual conversation with her, that didn't end well. She replied curtly and with as minimum words possible. But I kept at it. Everyday for the next three months, I would find any excuse to talk to her. Clarifications for patients, where a tool or potion was and one day I even got her coffee! But, she was still dating that wretched, redheaded Weasel. He was utter scum, some days she would come in crying because of something he had done. I tried to comfort her, but as usual, she just pushed me away. So when I bumped into her at a bar one night, I was not about to let her get away so easily…

 **At the bar:**

"Firewhiskey please," She said to the bartender, tossing some gallons onto the countertop.

"Sure thing missy," He replied politely, grabbing a glass and pouring some of the strong drink into it.

"Thanks," She mumbled grabbing the glass. She turned and looked around to see if there were any empty tables. I saw her glance at my table and eventually sigh, turning to sit down at the bar. She downed her glass and was grabbing some change for another one when I gently grabbed her wrist.

I tossed some coins on the counter and said, "Firewhiskey please." Hermione glanced at me and released a small smile. After getting her glass she mumbled a quiet thank you and I gestured to my table. Hermione sighed but walked back with me. I pushed her chair in for her and she let out a tiny giggle. I took the seat across from her and drank a small sip of Butterbeer.

"So what brings you here?" I asked her, starting the conversation.

"Ronald Weasley," She groaned.

"What did he do this time?" I asked her, concern ridiling my voice.

"Nothing," She replied quickly. But, I was a Malfoy, I don't give up that quickly.

"Granger," I said, raising an eyebrow.

"Fine Malfoy, but you can't do anything about it now anyways. It's over," She paused before saying, "He slapped me."

"What?!" I exploded. "Hermione, are you okay? Did he hurt you? I swear, I am going to kill that filthy little toerag!" I exclaimed. But Hermione just placed her hand on mine, she didn't say anything, just rested her hand there.

"It didn't really hurt, I'm okay now. I just, never thought he would do that, you know? I've loved him since second year, he meant the world to me. Sure, things started out rough, with his drinking problem and all. But he was just getting over Fred's death, so I tried to help him get over it. But today, I caught him with another woman, they were flirting and kissing. I had gone to visit him at work so we could go to lunch together. I didn't know what to do, so I just went up to him and told him we were over. He at first ignored me, but I went home anyways and packed up his stuff. I put it outside and before I knew what was going on, he had apparated and was standing right in front of me. He saw his bags at the door and freaked out! His hand came up and he slapped me right across the face. I staggered to the ground and if it wasn't for Harry coming, I don't know what I would have done. I had owled Harry right after I got home and he apparated over as fast as he could. He shoved Ronald away and I saw a bottle drop from his pocket; he had been drinking again. Ron usually came home late and always drunk. I told him, he needed help, that he couldn't live that way forever. But of course, he wouldn't listen. After Harry had shoved him aside, I hexed him. He collapsed on the ground and Harry quickly apparated him away. Harry came back shortly after and we put up some enchantments to make sure that Ronald couldn't come back. We had tea, I cried a lot and then when Harry left, I came here. And now, I'm talking to you," Hermione summed up.

"I truly am sorry Hermione. I know you think that I'm a rotten person and you were right. But, I want you to know that I changed. It took me a war to realize that, but, I eventually came to the realization that I wanted to help people. Not hurt them, I'm sorry about all those years that I bullied you at Hogwarts. I'm sorry about how much of a jerk I was to you and your friends. But the truth is, I always envied you. You weren't the only one who was beaten," I told her, rolling up my right sleeve. She saw the dark red cuts on my arms and gasped. It read, I do not love Mudbloods.

"Did your father do that?" She asked me. I nodded. Father had tried out new spells on me for punishment. Thank goodness he was slowly rotting away in Azkaban. Hermione rolled up her sleeve and showed me her arm too, the Mudblood that Aunt Bella had written upon her.

"I'm sorry Hermione. I should have done something. I wanted to help you, truly I did, but-" I started saying.

"Draco, it's not your fault, you couldn't have done anything. Now, who was that Muggleborn that you fancied?" Hermione teased, trying to lighten the mood.

"Um, well… It's this really awesome woman that I now work with," I explained.

"Humm… Boss or colleague?" She questioned.

"Colleague," I replied, a smile dancing across my lips.

"Um…" She said, pondering who it could be.

"Oh come now Granger, for the smartest witch of our age, you truly can be oblivious," I smirked.

"Me?" She exclaimed, I nodded. And that was officially the first time the Hermione Granger had ever been speechless. I didn't know whether that was a good or bad thing to be honest. Hermione blinked a few times as it sunk in. Then she squealed in a very un-Granger like manner.

"You do?" She gasped. "Ginny had always said that playing hard to get would work and-" She stopped and then blushed.

"Wait, do you like me?" I asked her, hope in my voice.

"Well, despite being with Ronald, I might have harbored some...feelings towards you," She replied, nervously biting her lip. "I tried to push them aside while we worked, no offense but boys are not as important as my job," She chuckled. "So I'm sorry for all the times that I pushed you away, I now know that you were only trying to get to know me, not mess with me."

"Wow, I was always so mean to you. For seven years, I had treated you like scum, like you were beneath me. For the longest time, I had not wanted to show my feelings, show that I liked a muggleborn. Father would not have been pleased if I had said that I liked you. When I mentioned you to him, he told me that because you were...muggleborn, I had to treat you like the and I quote, "Dirt that you were", but, I really didn't want to. But Hermione, with Father in Azkaban, we could be together. If you wanted?" I asked her timidly.

"Draco, I would like nothing more," Hermione said, a smiling playing on her lips.

I squeezed her hand in mine and smiled at her. She smiled and we sat in eachothers company for the rest of the night. We discussed plans for the future, our ambitions, hobbies and favorite pastimes. By the end of the night, I had convinced Hermione to come and watch me play quidditch one time! I had to go to one of her book club meetings as a sort of, compromise.

We walked back to her flat and after gently kissing her on her hand, I apparated away.

When I got to my room in my flat, I collapsed onto my bed and let out a gigantic sigh. All of the pressure and tension from holding that in was finally released. I had to admit, I had accomplished a lot today. I got the girl of my dreams, my life is going in the right direction again and I had made the one and only Hermione Granger speechless.

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 **AN: Thanks for reading! Please please please review! It means soooo much to hear what you guys all have to say. Thanks! :)**


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